So after I made my poor horse go a month or so without being ridden, I finally decided I need to buckle down and work my poor neglected pony. The first few rides were mostly working on my position and getting her some exercise. Then we started working on collecting again, and bending, and changing directions. My horse has a tendency to forget. =]

But the last few rides have been incredible. I swear I can feel her getting more and more uphill with every stride. We've been working on balancing our trot, stretching and bending around the corners, and being upright. Yesterday, she was soft and flexible and bendy and I was just ecstatic, and didn't want to risk a fight at the canter.

This morning, her trot was equally as soft and maybe not so bendy, but I decided to get some canter work in. We managed to get into it really well, and she was really bending around the circle, and staying upright, and her canter was the most uphill it's ever been. Then she broke stride and it took forever to get a good enough trot to get back into a canter but when we DID canter again, it was as good as the first canter. She did really well the other direction as well.

She has this habit of crossfiring when we track right, which is why we don't canter unless she is balanced at the trot. I can't always tell when she is doing it, but when her trot is balanced, her canter is balanced, so I can feel the difference. I'm just so proud of her. Slowly but surely, my mare is using her butt more and more and making heaps of progress. I just had to share. XD

Thanks. It's just so much progress. I know we have so so so so soooo far to go, but we're heading in the right direction, and better is still better, is it not?

I'm hoping to show her at a fair at the end of the month, probably just english pleasure and eq, maybe jumping, so if I go, I'll definitely post my results and photos. I've been dying to get jumping photos for you to critique but our jumping is reserved for gates and tree trunks on the trail, lol.

good job! Keep up the good work. I know how much work it is. I have a rescue I picked up last year that I've been working with. She's going really good and we went to our first dressage show the 4th of July. We are working on her canter as she rushes almost to a gallop when I ask her and takes a minute for her to come down from it. It just seems a long process but when you get it you feel amazing and so proud of them. Good luck and all the best in your rides

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